Tell Me Why (video game): Difference between revisions
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'''''Tell Me Why''''' is a 2020 [[adventure game]] from [[Dontnod Entertainment]] and published by [[Xbox Game Studios]]. The game was released in three episodes exclusively for [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Xbox One]] in August and September. |
'''''Tell Me Why''''' is a 2020 [[adventure game]] from [[Dontnod Entertainment]] and published by [[Xbox Game Studios]]. The game was released in three episodes exclusively for [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Xbox One]] in August and September. |
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==Gameplay |
==Gameplay== |
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In the game, the player will revisit parts of the old home with both of the twins, and experience separate visions and memories of what had transpired, with each twin having different recollections of what happened. The player will make decisions for the pair based on which version of the past events to believe, which will impact the game's outcomes.<ref name="ign announce">{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/11/14/tell-me-why-is-the-new-episodic-game-from-life-is-strange-studio | title = Tell Me Why Is the New Episodic Game from Life Is Strange Studio | first = Adam | last =Bankhurst | date = November 14, 2019 | accessdate = November 14, 2019 | work = [[IGN]] }}</ref> The game also features an exploration of [[Tlingit culture]] and includes several [[Tlingit]] characters.<ref name="GLAAD">{{cite web|last=Farokhmanesh|first=Megan|date=November 14, 2019|title=Life is Strange developer unveils new mystery game, Tell Me Why|url=https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/2019/11/14/20964923/life-is-strange-tell-me-why-dontnod-xbox-pc|accessdate=November 14, 2019|work=[[The Verge]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Van Allen|first=Eric|date=November 14, 2019|title=Life is Strange Developer's New Game Will Explore Memories and the Trans Experience Through Twins|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/life-is-strange-developers-new-game-will-explore-memories-and-the-trans-experience-through-twins|accessdate=November 14, 2019|work=[[USGamer]]}}</ref> |
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== Plot == |
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In the game, the player will revisit parts of the old home with both of the twins, and experience separate visions and memories of what had transpired, with each twin having different recollections of what happened. The player will make decisions for the pair based on which version of the past events to believe, which will impact the game's outcomes.<ref name="ign announce">{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/11/14/tell-me-why-is-the-new-episodic-game-from-life-is-strange-studio | title = Tell Me Why Is the New Episodic Game from Life Is Strange Studio | first = Adam | last =Bankhurst | date = November 14, 2019 | accessdate = November 14, 2019 | work = [[IGN]] }}</ref> The game also features an exploration of [[Tlingit culture]] and includes several [[Tlingit]] characters. |
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In 1996, in the [[Alaska|Alaskan]] town of Delos Crossing, twin sisters Alyson and Ollie Ronan are taken into police custody after the death of their mother, Mary-Ann. Ollie confesses to murdering their mother in self-defense. Ollie is sent away to the Fireweed juvenile detention center, while Alyson is adopted by Delos police chief Eddy Brown. |
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Ten years later, Ollie - now [[trans man|transitioned to male]] and going by Tyler (August Aiden Black) - returns to Delos Crossing and reunites with Alyson ([[Erica Lindbeck]]). The twins return to their childhood home to sell it so that they can move on with their lives and Alyson can move to [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]]. The house is in disrepair, held together by local handy-man Sam, who was close with Mary-Ann and has become an alcoholic since her death. Being home brings back a flood of memories of the twins' childhood; they recall how their mother would tell them fairy-tales of a runaway princess and two goblins who lived beneath her castle. The twins and Mary-Ann had compiled these stories into an illustrated journal called the "Book of Goblins", which they find hidden away in the house. |
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They also begin to recall the events surrounding Mary-Ann's death. Tyler had asked Alyson to cut his hair to look more like a boy, and when he went to show Mary-Ann, she tried to kill him with a [[double-barreled shotgun]] and chased him onto the house's pier. Tyler believes Mary-Ann had been a [[Transphobia|transphobe]] who had a psychotic break when she realised her daughter was transitioning to male. However, as they clear out Mary-Ann's room, they discover a book of parenting advice on how to assist a [[transgender]] child, alongside a leaflet for a [[Conversion therapy|gay conversion]] camp. Both were given to Mary-Ann by her religious friend Tessa Vecci, who runs a local cafe and convenience store with her husband, Tom, who is running for town mayor. From Tessa, the twins learn Mary-Ann became increasingly erratic in the weeks leading to her death. Mary-Ann came to Tessa for advice about Tyler's transitioning, and reacted angrily when Tessa suggested the camp. Tessa affirms that Mary-Ann loved Tyler and was supportive of his identity. |
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Tyler and Alyson visit the Delos police station and meet Eddy, hoping for information on Mary-Ann's state of mind. Tyler resents Eddy for keeping Alyson away while he was in Fireweed, while Eddy considers Tyler a bad influence on his adoptive daughter. The twins request to see the file for Mary-Ann's death, but are denied. In a flashback, it is revealed that it was actually Alyson who killed Mary-Ann, stabbing her with the same scissors she had used to cut Tyler's hair, with Tyler opting to take the blame to save Alyson. |
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The next morning, Tyler and Alyson recall a memory of Mary-Ann arguing with Eddy outside their home. Desperate for answers, they break into the police archive and uncover several files surrounding Mary-Ann's death. They learn Tessa had demanded Eddy call [[social services]] to have Tyler and Alyson taken away from Mary-Ann. The twins confront Eddy, who admits his visit had been to warn Mary-Ann. The twins corner Tessa, and she defends her actions by pointing out that Mary-Ann isolated her family from the Delos community through her unusual behaviour, and that she had called social services out of genuine concern for their safety. Tyler and Alyson return home to find the barn on fire, and Tyler is knocked to the ground by the fleeing arsonist. They discover the arsonist tried to access a secret compartment beneath the floor containing a locked box. Using clues hidden in the Book of Goblins, they open the box and find letters from a lover of Mary-Ann's, attempting to pressure Mary-Ann into having an abortion. Tyler recalls seeing another figure watching from afar at the time of Mary-Ann's death. This leads the twins to recall a memory of Mary-Ann arguing with a man in a boat, threatening to kill the man if he attempted to take her children. They are unable to recall the man's face. |
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Alyson steps away from their investigation, having become emotionally exhausted and depressed. Her mental health rapidly deteriorates as she is consumed with guilt for Mary-Ann's death, leading to a panic attack when she goes to visit Eddy at the police station. Deciding to put the past to rest once and for all, she visits Sam and asks if he is their father. He denies it, but his old photographs of their house reveal a secret loft space above the barn. She and Tyler investigate the secret loft and find a room of complex puzzles built by Mary-Ann. Using the Book of Goblins, the twins solve the puzzles and realise the "fairy-tales" Mary-Ann used to tell them were actually metaphors for Mary-Ann's own troubled past - born to a wealthy and overbearing family, she had fallen pregnant and decided to run away to Delos Crossing to raise the baby alone. However, shortly after moving in, the baby had suddenly died. Inside the final puzzle, they find a picture of their elder half-sibling Leo Ronan, along with a letter addressed to them in which Mary-Ann hopes that they can now understand her better. The twins realise that the already fragile Mary-Ann had suffered a breakdown after learning that social services would be taking her only surviving children away. |
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Reinvigorated by the discovery, the twins return to the pier where Mary-Ann died and finally recall that the man she was arguing with was Tom Vecci, Tessa's husband. They summon Tom to the house and force him to admit to being their father. When Alyson threatens to publicly expose Tom's affair with Mary-Ann, ruining Tom's chances of being mayor, Tom reveals that he saw what really happened the night of her death: Mary-Ann had been attempting to calm the frightened Tyler, not kill him, when Alyson stabbed her to death. Tyler rejects this theory as a lie to blackmail Alyson into staying quiet, while Alyson suspects this to be the true sequence of events due to inconsistencies in the twins' own memories of that night. Tyler admits that they may never know the truth, but insists Alyson decides on which memory to believe so that she can put her mind to rest. Alyson must then choose between two options - either Mary-Ann was planning to [[Murder–suicide|kill herself and her two children]] to prevent social services from seperating them; or Mary-Ann had been planning to kill only herself when she was interrupted by Tyler, who misunderstood the situation and panicked. |
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==Development== |
==Development== |
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Revision as of 15:34, 12 September 2020
| Tell Me Why | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Dontnod Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Xbox Game Studios |
| Director(s) | Florent Guillaume |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows Xbox One |
| Release | Episode 1: August 27, 2020 Episode 2: September 3, 2020 Episode 3: September 10, 2020 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Tell Me Why is a 2020 adventure game from Dontnod Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game was released in three episodes exclusively for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One in August and September.
Gameplay
In the game, the player will revisit parts of the old home with both of the twins, and experience separate visions and memories of what had transpired, with each twin having different recollections of what happened. The player will make decisions for the pair based on which version of the past events to believe, which will impact the game's outcomes.[1] The game also features an exploration of Tlingit culture and includes several Tlingit characters.[2][3]
Plot
In 1996, in the Alaskan town of Delos Crossing, twin sisters Alyson and Ollie Ronan are taken into police custody after the death of their mother, Mary-Ann. Ollie confesses to murdering their mother in self-defense. Ollie is sent away to the Fireweed juvenile detention center, while Alyson is adopted by Delos police chief Eddy Brown.
Ten years later, Ollie - now transitioned to male and going by Tyler (August Aiden Black) - returns to Delos Crossing and reunites with Alyson (Erica Lindbeck). The twins return to their childhood home to sell it so that they can move on with their lives and Alyson can move to Juneau. The house is in disrepair, held together by local handy-man Sam, who was close with Mary-Ann and has become an alcoholic since her death. Being home brings back a flood of memories of the twins' childhood; they recall how their mother would tell them fairy-tales of a runaway princess and two goblins who lived beneath her castle. The twins and Mary-Ann had compiled these stories into an illustrated journal called the "Book of Goblins", which they find hidden away in the house.
They also begin to recall the events surrounding Mary-Ann's death. Tyler had asked Alyson to cut his hair to look more like a boy, and when he went to show Mary-Ann, she tried to kill him with a double-barreled shotgun and chased him onto the house's pier. Tyler believes Mary-Ann had been a transphobe who had a psychotic break when she realised her daughter was transitioning to male. However, as they clear out Mary-Ann's room, they discover a book of parenting advice on how to assist a transgender child, alongside a leaflet for a gay conversion camp. Both were given to Mary-Ann by her religious friend Tessa Vecci, who runs a local cafe and convenience store with her husband, Tom, who is running for town mayor. From Tessa, the twins learn Mary-Ann became increasingly erratic in the weeks leading to her death. Mary-Ann came to Tessa for advice about Tyler's transitioning, and reacted angrily when Tessa suggested the camp. Tessa affirms that Mary-Ann loved Tyler and was supportive of his identity.
Tyler and Alyson visit the Delos police station and meet Eddy, hoping for information on Mary-Ann's state of mind. Tyler resents Eddy for keeping Alyson away while he was in Fireweed, while Eddy considers Tyler a bad influence on his adoptive daughter. The twins request to see the file for Mary-Ann's death, but are denied. In a flashback, it is revealed that it was actually Alyson who killed Mary-Ann, stabbing her with the same scissors she had used to cut Tyler's hair, with Tyler opting to take the blame to save Alyson.
The next morning, Tyler and Alyson recall a memory of Mary-Ann arguing with Eddy outside their home. Desperate for answers, they break into the police archive and uncover several files surrounding Mary-Ann's death. They learn Tessa had demanded Eddy call social services to have Tyler and Alyson taken away from Mary-Ann. The twins confront Eddy, who admits his visit had been to warn Mary-Ann. The twins corner Tessa, and she defends her actions by pointing out that Mary-Ann isolated her family from the Delos community through her unusual behaviour, and that she had called social services out of genuine concern for their safety. Tyler and Alyson return home to find the barn on fire, and Tyler is knocked to the ground by the fleeing arsonist. They discover the arsonist tried to access a secret compartment beneath the floor containing a locked box. Using clues hidden in the Book of Goblins, they open the box and find letters from a lover of Mary-Ann's, attempting to pressure Mary-Ann into having an abortion. Tyler recalls seeing another figure watching from afar at the time of Mary-Ann's death. This leads the twins to recall a memory of Mary-Ann arguing with a man in a boat, threatening to kill the man if he attempted to take her children. They are unable to recall the man's face.
Alyson steps away from their investigation, having become emotionally exhausted and depressed. Her mental health rapidly deteriorates as she is consumed with guilt for Mary-Ann's death, leading to a panic attack when she goes to visit Eddy at the police station. Deciding to put the past to rest once and for all, she visits Sam and asks if he is their father. He denies it, but his old photographs of their house reveal a secret loft space above the barn. She and Tyler investigate the secret loft and find a room of complex puzzles built by Mary-Ann. Using the Book of Goblins, the twins solve the puzzles and realise the "fairy-tales" Mary-Ann used to tell them were actually metaphors for Mary-Ann's own troubled past - born to a wealthy and overbearing family, she had fallen pregnant and decided to run away to Delos Crossing to raise the baby alone. However, shortly after moving in, the baby had suddenly died. Inside the final puzzle, they find a picture of their elder half-sibling Leo Ronan, along with a letter addressed to them in which Mary-Ann hopes that they can now understand her better. The twins realise that the already fragile Mary-Ann had suffered a breakdown after learning that social services would be taking her only surviving children away.
Reinvigorated by the discovery, the twins return to the pier where Mary-Ann died and finally recall that the man she was arguing with was Tom Vecci, Tessa's husband. They summon Tom to the house and force him to admit to being their father. When Alyson threatens to publicly expose Tom's affair with Mary-Ann, ruining Tom's chances of being mayor, Tom reveals that he saw what really happened the night of her death: Mary-Ann had been attempting to calm the frightened Tyler, not kill him, when Alyson stabbed her to death. Tyler rejects this theory as a lie to blackmail Alyson into staying quiet, while Alyson suspects this to be the true sequence of events due to inconsistencies in the twins' own memories of that night. Tyler admits that they may never know the truth, but insists Alyson decides on which memory to believe so that she can put her mind to rest. Alyson must then choose between two options - either Mary-Ann was planning to kill herself and her two children to prevent social services from seperating them; or Mary-Ann had been planning to kill only herself when she was interrupted by Tyler, who misunderstood the situation and panicked.
Development
Dontnod announced that Tyler Ronan is the first transgender playable character from any major studio, and they had worked with GLAAD to make him an "authentic representation of the trans experience".[2] Tyler was voiced by August Aiden Black, who is also a trans man.[4][5]
Tell Me Why was announced during Microsoft's Xbox London event on November 14, 2019. Dontnod stated that in response from criticism over the variable timing of episode releases for Life Is Strange, that they will commit to a release schedule for the three episodes over mid-2020.[1]
After Remember Me, Tell Me Why is the first game from Dontnod in seven years to receive dubbed versions in other languages, including French, German, Spanish (Mexico), and Portuguese (Brazil). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, voice recordings were delayed, so only an English dubbing and subtitles in different languages were offered for the release of the first episode.[6]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 78/100[7] XONE: 79/100[8] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly |   [9] |
| Game Informer | 7.75/10[10] |
| GameRevolution |  [11] |
| GamesRadar+ | [12] |
| IGN | 7/10[13] |
| Shacknews | 9/10[14] |
The game received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[7][8]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Best of Gamescom Awards | Best Microsoft Xbox Game | Won | [15] |
References
- ^ a b Bankhurst, Adam (November 14, 2019). "Tell Me Why Is the New Episodic Game from Life Is Strange Studio". IGN. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Farokhmanesh, Megan (November 14, 2019). "Life is Strange developer unveils new mystery game, Tell Me Why". The Verge. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- ^ Van Allen, Eric (November 14, 2019). "Life is Strange Developer's New Game Will Explore Memories and the Trans Experience Through Twins". USGamer. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- ^ Wright, Steve (2020-02-21). "Tell Me Why's transgender lead is voiced by a transgender male". stevivor. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Henley, Stacey (2020-02-18). "Meet Tyler Ronan, the first transgender triple-A video game protagonist". VG247. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "FAQ Tell Me Why". Retrieved 2020-08-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Tell Me Why for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Tell Me Why for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Tell Me Why review". August 27, 2020.
- ^ Wallace, Kimberley. "Tell Me Why Review – Too Much Left Unanswered". Game Informer.
- ^ "Tell Me Why Review | 'A mystery that's best left unsolved'". GameRevolution. Retrieved Aug 31, 2020.
- ^ Henley, Stacey (August 27, 2020). "Tell Me Why review: "The new gold standard for trans characters in games"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Garcia, Janet (August 27, 2020). "Tell Me Why Review". IGN. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
- ^ Mejia, Ozzie (August 27, 2020). "Tell Me Why review: Fairy tale twin magic". Shacknews. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
- ^ "gamescom award 2020: "And the winners are...!"" (in German). Retrieved August 29, 2020.
External links
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